Steamy sex scenes are nothing new in cinema. We’ve had decades of uninhibited simulated sex on screens by now. From Midnight Cowboy (1969) to Last Tango in Paris (1972), and 9 ½ Weeks (1986) to Unfaithful (2002), the use of sex on screen has done a lot to tantalize and surprise movie goers. Actors are usually sheepish about the experience and will, generally, claim to have no favorites when it comes to such things. But, lucky for us, Ralph Fiennes is not one of those actors.
While appearing on Watch What Happens Live recently, host Andy Cohen asked the actor what his favorite love scenes were that he’s performed in. And Ralph Fiennes had an answer ready to go for Cohen. He states that he has a number of favorites and then goes on to say that he "liked making love" to Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient (1996), Julianne Moore in The End of the Affair (1999) and Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardner (2005).
First of all, the man has made around 50 movies, so I’m impressed that he was able to list those in the order of the release dates. Secondly, because he had a perfectly timed answer just swimming around in his head, says that not only did those performances have a major impact on him, he’s also given this some thought in his spare time. And I love that he was so willing to admit to this on live TV.
People, Ralph Fiennes is my new hero. In my eyes he is now bigger than Oprah as the most important person in entertainment. What honesty; what daring; hell, what complete and utter disregard to the other women he’s pretended to knock naughty boots with. Truly, it’s inspiring.
Actors always say that doing love scenes is simply uncomfortable. There’s usually a lot of people around, you’re usually semi-nude to full-on birthday suiting the situation, and your co-star is in the same boat. Also? You have to mash all your parts together with someone you probably barely know, or, someone you know all too well, whether you enjoy their company or not.
We all know what the truth must be, though. It’s impossible that all the actors in all the sex scenes throughout movie history feel this way. In fact, I’ve always thought that if you’re really acting the way actors say you should, by completely losing yourself in the moment, someone would have to have gotten over the not-so-great aspects and find the whole process fun. In other words, human nature takes over.
If there were any justice in the world Ralph Fiennes will go on to do many more sex scenes, the man clearly has a talent for separating the wheat from the chaff. And, in another twenty years, we should all expect another report on his favorite movie sexy times. After all, we wouldn’t want all his hard work to go to waste.
